1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server device such as a facsimile server device used for a facsimile system, and a communication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A facsimile system has been commercialized in which a facsimile server device which is connected to such a communication line as a PSTN (public switched telephone network) and has a facsimile transmission/reception function, and client equipment such as a personal computer are connected via a LAN (a local area network). In this facsimile system, a facsimile server device transmits image data to a transmission destination via the communication line by performing transmission of electronic mail having the image data and the transmission destination information from the client equipment to the facsimile server device, and when the facsimile server device receives image data, the client equipment receives the image data by sending the image data to predetermined client equipment.
In North American countries, when a call is placed from a telephone or facsimile machine, PIN (personal identification number) information which is a code number or an authentication number to identify whether the user is the valid one is sent to the switchboard of a PSTN for authentication. After the authentication is performed, communication with a intended destination party is made. If the PIN information is incorrect, it is possible to restrict use of a public telephone network, and prevent illegal use of the public telephone network.
However, the facsimile server device of this facsimile system cannot transfer image data by using PIN information. Therefore, illegal use of the public telephone network cannot be prevented.